lidbeckbrent

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Treasures from Brimfield

The anticipated May 2012 Brimfield Tweetup at the Brimfield Antiques Fair drew in an amazing crowd! It
was tempting to stray away from the antique fair itself, for the line up of
talent and inspiring company of designers, bloggers, and decorators in the
Tweetup tent was most engaging. Here, you could converse on all aspects of
design, including color, decorating, salvaging, antiquing, and trends of the
trade.

But the antique fair beckoned
and my friend Joanne Palmisano, author of Salvage Secrets, and I had to pull ourselves away and set off for an afternoon
of shopping, as I did have a mission.

The idea of venturing into
the endless abyss of an antique fair or flea market may seem overwhelming, so
the best plan is to have a shopping goal in mind. Having your eyes set on
something specific to shop for is always better than anything goes. It helps
you edit out the seemingly limitless options, as you can easily overdose on
choices.

Floral arranging is my
passion. As a stylist, I am always in need of unique bottles and pitchers to
house flowers in. At Brimfield, I made my shopping goal to look for small unusual
floral vessels for $10.00 or less. Here are a few of my favorite
container finds:

One dealer had boxes full of
wooden shoe forms. I adored the child size. On the heel of each shoe lays a
small, cork-sized hole lined with metal. The hole is the perfect size to hold a
few inches of water as well as a few stems. These would look great displayed on
your bookshelf or atop a book on any table in your home.

All in all, if it has holes to hold water, it can hold flowers, right? Bingo!

I saw this old electric lamp
and fell in love with the textured glass ball shape on top. The electric cord
had already been removed which made it a “ready to go” vase and the perfect flea
market find.

These old doorknobs make
charming little vases, and when paired in threes or more make a delectable
collection for any countertop or table. The
cylinder end on each knob holds just enough water to keep a small bundle of
lily of the valley or a stem of bleeding heart happy. Of course, the water
needs to be refilled daily.

Joanne has an eagle eye for
the unusual. She pointed me in the direction of these fabulous paper milk
containers form the 1940’s. I can't wait
to fill these bright colored, summer inspired cartons with the zinnias,
cosmos, and heliantus from my garden.

The shopping was
fun of course, but the best part of the Brimfield visit was the opportunity to
see old friends and make many new.

I was completely
thrilled to arrive at Brimfield to be greeted by the wonderful Chris and Walter
Chapin of Company C, a sponsor of the Brimfield event and an inspiring home
décor and furnishings brand that I have grown to love. Even more thrilled was I
to see stacks of copies of the new fall catalog that Chris and I styled in New
Hampshire this past winter. It is always a great pleasure to see the finished
product of your work.

I was also delighted
to meet editor Erin McLaughlin and her fabulous crew from Canada’s Style at
Home, interior designer Shane Inman who did a remarkable job designing the
Brimfield tent, and I finally got to meet many fellow twitter pals like @abcddesigns,
@stylesson and @warrenbobrow1

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I'm Karin and I am a stylist, life style editor, designer, artist, and producer. I create DIY projects and style houses for dozens of magazines, catalogs and websites where you may go to get your design inspiration. I love to create beautiful rooms, vignettes, floral arrangements while creating entertaining ideas. This year I started producing crafts and lifestyle ideas for the CT FOX NEWS Morning Show. This blog is my opportunity to share with you all of the projects I create for Country Living, Better Homes and Gardens, New England Homes Magazine, Traditional Homes and many more. I will also share my exciting and hectic life as a stylist, my favorite styling ideas, the way I work, the places I go and the exciting homes and people I meet. Enjoy and be inspired!